These two sweet spots are ending – don't wait

☀️ Good morning and welcome back to Daily Drop — the newsletter that refuses to clap when the plane lands, but will absolutely clap for a good transfer bonus. 👏

Today is packed with tips for getting insane value for your points, so let’s get started:

• 🪓 Alaska axes two major partners (here’s what to do now)

• ✈️ September Promo Rewards: easy wins to Europe (and beyond)

• 🔁 Should you transfer your Marriott points to airlines and other members?

🪓 Alaska axes two major partners (here’s what to do now)

This one hurts. Alaska Airlines’ Atmos Rewards is starting to cut ties with Singapore Airlines and LATAM as of October 1, 2025 — and both losses sting in different ways.

Let’s start with Singapore.

Atmos has always had a quirky, separate award chart for Singapore flights, and it was actually better than other partners for short hops.

For example, I’m personally flying from Jakarta (CGK) to Hong Kong (HKG) via Singapore (SIN) next week for just 25,000 Atmos points in business class — an insane value when you consider the quality of Singapore’s product.

The bad news? While short-haul intra-Asia awards were great, longer Singapore redemptions (to the U.S. and Europe) weren’t as hot.

The pricing wasn’t stellar, and availability was… let’s say, aspirational at best. So the blow here is really about those regional sweet spots.

The bigger tragedy is LATAM. It’s been one of the most lucrative ways to use Atmos points — especially for South America.

You can fly New York (JFK) to São Paulo (GRU) for just 25,000 points in economy or 60,000 in lie-flat business class on a 10-hour flight. Hard to beat.

But where LATAM really shines is short-haul.

There just aren’t many programs that let you hop around South America cheaply and conveniently. Atmos fills that gap with awards starting at just 4,500 points one-way on LATAM, which has a massive regional network.

To illustrate the point, here is an example of an EPIC South American adventure you could book in coach entirely on LATAM using Atmos points:

• Miami (MIA) → Quito, Ecuador (UIO) — 12,500 points

• Quito → Lima, Peru (LIM) — 7,500 points

• Lima → Córdoba, Argentina (COR) — 12,500 points

• Córdoba → Santiago, Chile (SCL) — 4,500 points

• Santiago → Miami (MIA) — 25,000 points

All nonstop, all bookable on LATAM through Atmos, and availability is usually quite good.

That’s 62,000 Atmos points total for a four-country South American adventure — truly one of the best values in the program.

Bottom line

• As of October 1, 2025, you will no longer be able to redeem Atmos points for LATAM or Singapore flights.

• If you’ve been eyeing one of these sweet spots, move quickly. (If you have a stash of Bilt points, you can transfer points to Atmos instantly to lock something in before it’s too late.)

• On the earning side, Atmos notes you may still accrue points for paid flights depending on when you travel — but the redemption magic is ending.

For all the nitty-gritty on cutoff dates and new reciprocal earnings moving forward, Alaska published pages for both the LATAM and Singapore Airlines partnerships.

✈️ September Promo Rewards: easy wins to Europe (and beyond)

Flying Blue’s monthly Promo Rewards are live — 25% off select awards on Air France and KLM metal.

This month has multiple U.S. economy routes, one standout premium economy deal, plus a sneaky long-haul to Asia you’ll like. 😉

What you can book

• Europe ⇄ U.S. from 18,750 miles one-way on Air France/KLM in economy. Cities include DEN, IAH, LAX, JFK, BOS, ORD, and LAS.

• Europe ⇄ Washington Dulles (IAD) from 30,000 miles one-way in premium economy — killer value when you want more comfort without business-class pricing.

• A number of other routes to Asia, South America, and Africa.

Why this is good (and easy)

1:1 transfers from all the majors — Membership Rewards points, Ultimate Rewards points, ThankYou points, Capital One miles, Bilt Rewards, and even Wells Fargo — and transfers are usually instant, so you can move points right after you find space.

Spotlight

The headline deal this month is Washington D.C. to Europe in premium economy for just 30,000 miles one-way, a super comfy way to cross the pond without bleeding points.

Another one I’m personally excited about is Europe to Hong Kong (HKG) for 22,500 miles in economy — which I’ll be using later this year before diving into my Chinese nature/train adventure.

And here’s the kicker: you could actually combine these two deals into one multi-continent trip. Fly to Europe in economy for 18,750 miles, then Europe to Hong Kong for 22.5k.

That’s 41,250 miles total for a trip that takes you across both the Atlantic and into Asia.

That kind of value is exactly why these Promo Rewards are worth scanning every single month — the math only gets better when you factor in potential transfer bonuses (sadly, there are none at the moment).

The fine print

• Book by: September 30, 2025

• Travel by: February 28, 2026

• Only on Air France/KLM metal (not partner airlines)

• Taxes/fees aren’t discounted

Check out the full terms and list of routes on Flying Blue’s website.

🔁 Should you transfer your Marriott points to airlines and other members?

Did you know your Marriott Bonvoy points aren’t just for hotels? 👀

Marriott partners with 35+ airlines, but don’t make a mad dash to transfer just yet. Most transfers happen at a 3:1 ratio… which isn’t ideal.

That said, it can make sense to transfer Marriott points to an airline if:

• There’s an incredible redemption worth the less-than-ideal ratio

• You need to top off a frequent flyer account for a specific award flight

• You’re leveraging a transfer bonus to score better value

• You’d rather redeem for flights (like for a coveted business-class seat) than Marriott hotel stays.

Is it always the best option? Hell no. But is it an option to consider? You bet!

What about moving those points to another Marriott member?

This one I’m totally on board with, as there’s far less risk and potential loss of value by keeping them in Marriott’s ecosystem.

Consider pooling your Marriott points if:

• You need a larger sum of points to make an award redemption

• One member has higher elite status (you’ll also reap the rewards if the reservation is under their account — think free breakfast, late check-out, etc.)

• Your points are expiring soon (after 24 months of inactivity)

Curious about the ins and outs of transferring your Marriott points? We’ve got a complete guide that dishes out the details. 👇

That’s all for today, my friends!

It’s a bummer to have even more valuable partnerships being cut, but I definitely plan on locking some redemptions in before October 1st, and I hope you can too.

Until next time,

6.9175° S, 107.6191° E

With contributions by Tiffany Eastham, McKay Moffitt, and Benji Stawski